Monday, November 17, 2014

Keep it Simple - The Bloody Mary

Sorry, dear Reader. . . I sometimes lapse into Stream of Consciousness writing.  I did describe how I simplified my dry martini.  Now for a few words about the Bloody.

On the face of it, "simplifying" might mean just pouring your vodka or gin into a glass, then adding a dollop of a commercially made Bloody Mary mix.  Not so.  It's not the number of bottles on your shelf, but the ingredients in that mix, that make it overly complex.  For the most part, Bloody Mary mixes are - to me, at least - not much more than tomato flavored salt, with some heat.  And because these bottles of mix remain on the shelves for some time, they contain things that help make them seem fresh, and so that the semisolids don't separate.  So consider getting away from a complexity that you don't need.

My personal preference in this genre is the Red Snapper (or Ruddy Mary), the gin version of the Bloody Mary.  But whether you prefer vodka or gin, consider this:  Into a mixing glass, place your preferred spirits, tomato juice, a squeeze of lemon juice, a dash of hot sauce (PLEASE don't make your Bloodys so hot and spicy that it dominates the flavor!), and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.  That's all. Mix and enjoy.  It may take a few moments to appreciate the utter simplicity of this mixture, now that it doesn't contain celery salt, habanero peppers, minced clams, horseradish or other accouterments. If you use vodka, don't opt for a top-shelf brand.  It will be lost in a Bloody Mary, anyway.  If you choose gin, select one with a noticeable juniper infusion.

Come up with your own simplifications. The idea of good cocktails is to savor the flavor and to socialize.

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